A Weary Watcher
by Chilo
Summary: II An alternate Chrono Crusade ending II In her final minutes, Rosette cancels the contract with Chrono. Yet, Rosette finds herself still clinging to the earth as an invisible watcher who can't make contact with anyone, or at least she thinks so.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I only wished I owned Chrono Crusade.

Author's Notes:

This was pretty hard to write. Not grammer-wise, or anything like that. Emotional wise. My first Chrono Crusade fan-fiction, and I am absolutely angry about the ending. This is what I think should have happened, and I'm planning to have more than 10 chapters of this. I need to see if people are even interesting in reading it, though.

I had to go with "Chrono" instead of "Chrno" for this one. It's hard for me to type Chrno, so I'll be sticking with the seemlingly easier one.

This first chapter is horribly short, so please stick with it. xD

Welp, enjoy and review!

--

No other words had been exchanged, for none needed to be. Only the silent ticking of the pocket watch weighed down on the atmosphere. They both sat, embathed by the sinking sun. An idea rose across her, both filling her with content and sadness. She turned to look at the devil she had made the contract with; the devil for the last six months of her life she had spent with. Just him. So much they'd been compacted through among the years. The contract, the Magdalene Order, their friends, her brother, Aion. It seemed to all happen so fast; she forgot to count the days. She kept herself from falling into the brink of tears, regaining her breath as she caught short. Aion. Without Aion, there wouldn't have been a contract to be made. She wouldn't have to risk her soul to fuel her contractor for the sake of her brother. Her brother who was slowly slipping from her grasp. The devil's head turned slightly. As much as he might have not wanted to, he'd managed to pick up her small shortness of breath. His pointy ears drooped. His gaze softened as much as he could possibly get it to, a bit of lingering sorrow dotting them.

Before he can ask questions or even get to say anything, she immediately stepped in.

"Chrono." She simply murmured. The devil's shoulders sank at the blankness in her eyes. It carved him inside out, making him as so speechless to the point where he couldn't give a small 'hmm?'. "I've been thinking." She continued. Chrono placed a hand on hers, almost as if to urge her on. At that, her world stopped. A pause enveloped them.

Her conscience pulled her back and forth between her decision. She almost wanted to shrug it off and tell him to never mind it. Out of all the things she's held back from saying to him, this was probably one of the most important things to be said. He'd probably insist for her to continue, anyway.

"Thinking about what?" Chrono finally asked, afraid he'd nearly lost her then. She was hesitant again, drowning in her own pool of words. He picked up her hand and placed it on his lap as he pushed himself a bit closer to her, just to hear.

"I want to undo the contract!" she bursted. Chrono sat in his surprise. He felt a tension on his pant leg. It was her hand, desperately clenching the red cloth. Her body trembled. She pressed herself against him, letting go of the cloth she'd been clutching so tight, her hand was completely bland of its color. A gaping tornado ripped into his side. He managed to sight her tears before she had buried her face in his shoulder. He hung loosely as he stared down at the wood-planked floor. He grasped her in return, the grip gradually tightening. His brows furrowed. His jaws clamped shut, his teeth grinding against one another, almost to the point where he wanted them to bleed.

"You… can't do that, Rosette." He fit between his clenched teeth.

"I made the contract, and I can undo it with the cost of my life, right?"

He didn't want to admit it, but she had been right about that.

"Then it's my choice whether or not I want to throw my life away. I can't just take you with me, that'd just be selfish." Chrono couldn't help but to smile at her thoughtfulness, yet his smile held no real meaning behind it.

She reached for the watch, turning it over to gaze at the clock hands counting down her life.

"Don't, Rosette. We'll go together. And I'm happy with that." He softly pushed. He didn't want to cause an already seemingly larger panic. That's the last thing they needed right now.

"Chrono." She sighed faintly as she gathered herself. "Thank you. For everything." Chrono shook his head.

"You're everything for me to be thankful for." He'd finished.

She squeezed her contractor, gripping the pocket watch tightly. Rosette braced herself as she opened the watch, the release shining over her. Pitch black darkness surrounded her, engulfing each hint of life. A scream for her name was the last thing she'd heard. It echoed throughout the empty cavern. She went into disbelief of herself. So, she'd really done it? She somehow found the strength to open it one last time. Why was it that this was the first time she'd seen black as the color of despair?

Everything opened back again, swiping her into a confusing vortex. The sun was at her back, brushing against her softly. She sat on the floor boards, on the planks of the patio. Through the blurriness of her vision, she found herself looking at something she'd thought only to be in a dream. Before her was a young girl with blond hair that sparkled orange in the sunset in the arms of a devil with the most blood-filled eyes she had ever seen.

"Rosette?" The devil questioned. Her crystal blue eyes widened. Her words caught in her throat as she tried to call out, choking her back. The figure in his arms didn't budge. He shook the body slightly; a most depressing chuckle escaped him. "Quit playing around, okay?"

She couldn't bare what she was seeing.

"Rosette? Rosette Christopher!" he managed a bit more firmly, starting to tremble.

"I'm right here, Chrono." The girl said hopelessly. He didn't move. She quickly became enraged, standing abruptly.

"Dammit, Chrono, can you hear!?" His body quaked. His head sunk into Rosette's—well, her—shoulder. She tugged at her hair, grunting. She tried to swat him with her hand, but she passed right through him. It only made her insides churn when she hit the shoulder of her own body. Chrono glanced up, revealing his own tears. He blinked as he waited for another movement. Her jaw dropped. She would never forgive herself if she had given him some moment of hope she was still with him. Technically, she was with him. He obviously didn't hear or even know she was standing right there. She glanced down at herself, lifting a single pale hand. She was able to ever so slightly glance through it.

Great. She was transparent. This day couldn't get any more wonderful than it already was.

"Rosette?" Chrono pressed. It didn't come to as a surprise that he sighed after no response. He seemed to take it roughly. She turned away, unable to see her entire world before her fall apart. She couldn't help but to notice the gloom as the sun disappeared behind the outlook of the horizon. Chrono hadn't moved once. He was too overcome with shock and despair to even care about moving. And like that he stood for some hours later. He somehow managed to slip into an uneasy sleep right on his lifeless contractor's shoulder.

When Rosette attempted to close her eyes and drift off, she felt an emptiness that didn't allow her to rest. Whatever she was now, that's probably how it was going to be from now on. It pained her enough that she saw what she had seen and had to stay already. Why was she still here? She possibly couldn't have done anything to please anyone to stay and see how everyone else around her lives while she is an invisible, hallow spirit "thing" striving for nothing. For all she knew, this was going to cause problems. She was ready to leave it all behind, yet it still invited her back. She sighed deeply as she glanced back at the lonesome devil. Regret gnawed at her stomach. Maybe if she had let them die together, this wouldn't have happened. Just maybe she had returned to fix this. Yet, she doubted that. She wasn't able to make contact with her partner, so how was she to fix anything? She was a single spec of dust in the wind, of completely nothing.

Rosette was forced to sit throughout the entire night, unable to put herself at peace. Chrono constantly shuffled. It seemed like a whole week went by, yet it had only been overnight. She tried countless times to reach out and stroke the devil's back. Each time she attempted, he had flinched. Stuck into confusion, she stopped herself to assure he wasn't uncomfortable with that. The silence carved her into talking aloud to nothing. As if Chrono would hear her, she spoke in a whisper. She experimented with her own body, poking her cheek and playing with her hair. How was it that she was able to make contact with her body without passing through it, and not Chrono's?

When night had finally died away, and the sun started to climb up behind the small house, Rosette found herself venturing the yard. She peeked over at Chrono every once and a while. She sighed as he remained immobile. Continuously, he'd been stroking her hair.

The erythematic beat of car engines began to near just a few hours after the sun had found itself in the morning sky. Soon, the automobiles made their entrance and aligned the front yard, nearly hitting her. She frantically avoided passing through them. She figured out it wasn't very comfortable, things flying through you. Only then, did Chrono's eyes follow the world in front of him. As the doors shot open, he gave a half-hearted smile. Maybe closer to a quarter-hearted smile. Azmaria was the first to rush forward. She nearly fell flat on her face going up the single step of the patio. Chrono's smile faded as the girl glanced over Rosette. Behind her, Sister Anna, Mary, and Claire followed. Rosette stared blankly over everybody. Azmaria gasped as Rosette's body didn't move. Weary glances were exchanged. The devil just studied the floor. Rosette had to turn away. She couldn't stand seeing others around her like this. Turning didn't help much at all. She could hear their crying from where she was standing.

--

Your thoughts? I need not know, for I can't read minds like you just read this lame excuse for a fan-fiction.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Don't own the characters, the Magdalene Order, or Chrono Crusade.

--

It took the entire whole of the Magdalene Order to move Chrono from that bench

It took the entire whole of the Magdalene Order to move Chrono from that bench. Even after, his usual spiritual self seemed to be left at the small house. He hadn't let an eye off of his contractor's body. He refused to let anyone take her body from the spot she had put herself to rest. Little did he know, his contractor's soul was right with him, as it had always been. It took the best persuaders and speech crafters to work with him and convince him that her body couldn't stay there. He was still upset about it. With agitated eyes, he watched as she was handled and carried away by a black car, as she had recognized those used in funerals to carry a body to and fro. He fought to follow the car close behind, but it was to no avail. His heart ached as the car gained distance between him. Chrono sluggishly began to run down the path in which the automobile had disappeared to. He was stopped by Azmaria as she grabbed his arm with haste. There was a seemingly pointless battle of screams and struggling. A few officials made there way over to start handling the devil. Soon, he was pretty much out of control.

"Where are they taking her!?" Chrono shot at Azmaria, now just an innocent spectator. She was too shocked at his bitterness to answer. His crimson eyes squinted with distrust. The girl was soon in his grasp, helplessly being quaked back and forth. "You know, don't you!?"

They had to render him unconscious in order to preserve the safety of those around him, for he had started to turn towards others peering at him. Rosette couldn't do much but survey the event, such guilt tearing at her she thought the world would end. They dragged Chrono's limp body towards one of the vehicles awaiting. Rosette forced herself towards the direction of the car. She was about to step into the car when the door behind her passed right through her, slamming in her face. Her stomach churned slightly.

"Hey…I'm trying to get in." she managed with half the spirit she used to talk. She forgot she was speaking out to practically nothing. The engine started roughly, blowing plumes into the once clean air from the exhaust pipe. Somehow, it made her cough. She felt as normal as she had ever been, expect for the certain emptiness that lingered in her trail. To her own surprise, she was able to bang the side of the door in fury.

"Don't you leave without me!"

Azmaria turned towards the noise that the car door had made, her brows furrowed in slight discomfort. She twitched as the side was jolted again. She turned back to Chrono, finding the courage to ignore it. She had given herself the challenge of keep him sitting upright without waking him. She had been hesitant about this. His sour actions still haunted her, sending an awkward feeling down her spine.

Rosette groaned. She couldn't believe this. She hated the way this continuation of the worst day in her life played out. She hated what was going on. She hated what she had to watch and hated how she couldn't do anything. She hated herself. This day was just a huge ball of growing frustration and hate. She… hated it. The blond cursed under her breath as the car took off. She forced herself not to scratch her nails along the side of its paint job, and wouldn't she just love to ruff something up right now.

She watched with a barren face as the car thinned out into the air and was gone from her sight. Rosette found herself just standing there. Her legs involuntarily moved towards where it had gone. She had no purpose staying here. She really didn't have a purpose anywhere. She didn't know what else to do. She just followed her body and mind, however idle it felt.

--

A few times before she'd followed this path. The first time she came, they had walked it together. It'd been a surprise, the out house. And her expression when Chrono told her to open her eyes was historical. Of course, her eyes weren't closed the entire time, granting her with the memory of the directions to return to the Magdalene Order, however many ways she told herself it was no use going back there. During most of the trip, Rosette wondered what she was going to do. A sightless, senseless, unnoticeable being. What was she to do? Watch? Her insides twisted at the thought of seeing anything related to what she had witnessed thus far today. She kept breaking down with each step as she ran over Chrono losing it again and again within her own conscience. She forced a sad smile, along with a sigh that followed. Maybe if she had been able to get into the car, she wouldn't be thinking about this right now. There would have been less time to. Faster travel. Why _hadn't _she been able to get into the car? She was able to shine her fury along it, but she couldn't open the door. Well, she hadn't tried, now that she thought of it. She knew the door automatically opening would scare anyone. That was the last thing she wanted to do. Yet, when she tried to pass through it, it hadn't allowed her. Some control she had.

Her thoughts trailed into the unknown as she crossed the countryside. She didn't know how she managed to pass the time, but before she knew it, she was finally pacing the streets of New York City. Her thoughts must have gotten her far.

It was warm outside. Rosette didn't bother to question herself as to how she could still feel such things as climate when she wasn't really_ there_. Despite her current situation, New York looked pretty nice. It was amazing how everything was able to live on when her element had gone. She was made to believe how her existence wasn't important in the first place. Often times, now, she found herself looking down. To being with, she was just an orphan. It didn't puzzle her any further as of why she felt so unimportant to being with. That had to be it. She'd been born to die, thanks to the fate she chose. Since she was an orphan, she just seemed to be the perfect person whose life should be ruined more further than it already had. It just had to be Joshua with the power of healing. And Aion had to be there. Then, Chrono…

She surprised herself with the fact that had Chrono not been here, she wouldn't be dead. She was rambling. She was occupying her mind for the time being. That's it, that's it. It was the truth. She flinched, not only because someone had walked through her and fell. It felt like she was fighting a war with her inner conscience, a war she might possibly lose. Losing herself to her own thoughts, that sounded like defeat. As far as she knew it, this wasn't defeat. To hell with being invisible, she can somewhat make contact with things, right? She can bang on the sides of cars and walk, can't she? She didn't see why she couldn't use these abilities to an advantage. Since when did people come back like this for a form of some second chance? That helped Rosette hold her head a little higher. She was going to make sure she was noticed, and for all she cared, God can watch her do it!

--

Chrono jolted awake, sweat beading down his cheeks. Violet bangs messily hung from the top of his head. The devil growled vigorously as he sat up. He immediately tended a hand to his neck. It burned to move his head side to side. Then, he barely recalled what had happened. What had happened to him. They had used the pressure point in his neck to knock him out. Chrono didn't remember why. He didn't know that could be arranged for devils. Apparently, he'd figured out the hard way. Most the events were a blur, but Rosette's lifeless body was so clear, he felt like he can reach out and touch it. Why couldn't they just let them sit there? Sooner or later, he would have died, also. That was what he had planned in the first place; for him and Rosette to die together. Yet, here he still was. It sickened him, yet enlightened him at the same time. It's what Rosette wanted. He couldn't deny that. But wherever she was bound to go, he wanted to walk side-by-side with her.

Restless, he swiped his hand out to remove his bed covers from his body. That was when he noticed an awkward attachment on his wrist, as well as the fact that he didn't have bed covers. A green light flickered on the side of his wrist attachment. He stumbled from the mattress, utterly confused of his location. It didn't look like his normal quarters. It looked much like a guest room at the Magdalene Order, which he couldn't mistake he was at. He reached for the door, pushing it open without trouble. His wrist attachment's light turned a shade of yellow. He inspected it as he made his way to the yard.

The sun hung high in the air, reigning down, giving noon to be the correct time. It looked like it had ever been, just a few clouds dotting the sky.

As Chrono wondered, he couldn't help but to notice the awkward glances that were shot towards him, as well as the dirty ones. What he failed to notice was that the once yellow light of his attachment went into a bit more of a tainted orange.

"Umm.. Chrono?" A soft voice had spoken behind him. His scarlet eyes set upon Azmaria. She was somewhat doubtful when she talked to him, almost as if… afraid?

"Are you feeling alright?" Azmaria continued as she didn't receive an answer. His shoulders drooped. His gaze ventured from the young girl to around the yard. He'd forgotten she wasn't there.

"Y..yeah." He didn't know how else to answer.

"Well.. that's…I'm glad to hear." She stumbled with her words. She shuffled where she stood, dwindling with a single strand of her snowy hair. Why was she so uncomfortable?

"Azmaria." Chrono stated her name firmly. She peered at him with soft eyes. "What's going on?"

She hesitated, and Chrono couldn't blame her. She couldn't have been shocked about Rosette. Well, of course she would be, but that didn't seem to be what was wrong with her at that moment. He turned his whole body towards her, aiming all his attention. He gave her the spotlight. The devil stepped forward, inviting her to continue on.

"I… well you see, there's… misunderstandings." She fiddled with her outfit. Chrono struggled to even his breath. He pulled himself back from saying anything.

"Earlier on today… you were acting weird when the funeral car for.. um… Rosette was being taken away." Clues of sadness drizzled over her. Chrono's eyebrows furrowed as he remembered it driving off. That's all he remembered. "When Sister Kate heard about it, she ordered for you to be put under heavy observation." Chrono automatically lifted his wrist, the attachment dangling. This time, he had seen the orange light, now flashing. Azmaria nodded as his gaze slipped towards her.

"Elder went out of his way to make that for you… erm… for her. I'm not quite sure what it does… but I don't think anyone will answer your questions about it except for Elder. It'd also be best that you avoided Sister Kate for the time being."

Chrono stared into her with disbelief. His head slowly shook back and forth.

"What happened this morning?" The words slipped from his mouth. The nun flinched.

"You… weren't feeling that well. I think it was from your lack of sleep. I knew you were having a hard time, so I'm not really worrying about it." She tried to make it sound as if it was nothing big. Chrono stepped closer. His serious rock-hard gaze nearly burned straight through her.

"What happened?" The devil spat a bit more firmly. Azmaria trembled backwards, falling over herself. Chrono jumped back in shock. He ran forward and pulled her up. His wrist attachment's light burned red. A steady rhythm of beeping flowed mysteriously from it. He also jumped at that. As soon as he let go of Azmaria, the attachment's indicator became orange again. That didn't stop Elder and a few nuns following behind him come over to the lost devil.

Elder stepped forward, grabbing his forearm and elevating it so he can view the contraption. Chrono nearly hung from the Elder's grasp. This was the first time he'd realized how much taller the old man was to him. Or maybe that was just time's toll.

"No good, no good. You're going to have to come with me, Chrono." The group of nuns behind him sent him disgusted looks. Elder turned, still holding up Chrono. They tried to follow, but the old man waved them off with his hand.

"Umm… sorry, Azmaria!" he shouted before he disappeared into Elders lab. Just before the walls covered his view, he managed to catch the group crowding around Azmaria.

"Terrible, Chrono! You look terrible!" Elder said as he placed Chrono in a nearby chair. "Really, what's gotten into you?"

Chrono was speechless. Did he do something?

"I doubt anyone's going to explain, so I might as well. This morning, you just… lost it!" Elder made awkward hand motions. He guessed the way he positioned his hands was a way to show his brains splattering out from his head. Chrono shuffled uncomfortably. He didn't know how weird it was being in here alone, without Rosette, that is. His shoulders sank and his pointed ears drooped. He felt like he was being scolded, and he didn't like it.

"You went bazoinkers! With only nuns there, do you know how long it took to restrain you? We had to bring in Sister Mary to get the job done." He sighed and crossed his arms. "Now, Sister Kate thinks you can blow your lid at anytime. She consulted me about making that device for you." A grin stretched his lips. "It's an automatic tracking device that's lights are an alert code that show here on this small communicator. Green means you're in the safety of your room. Yellow means that you're anywhere but your room. Orange shows when you get within a three yard radius of anyone. And red comes with a beeper that alerts contact with someone." He paced.

"You see, your slight aura of Astral Energy can sense whenever you make contact with anyone because the auras mix. This can only happen between a human and a devil, though. Had it been that you put your hand on a, say, devil's shoulder, it would read nothing because you two share the same aura, but you'd be in the red zone anyway for meeting outside of the Magdalene Order to do so. Oh, by the way, you can't leave here until Sister Kate gives the okay. Anyway, humans are different. This gives us a unique aura I can use to trace." The inventor played with the communicator. "Brilliant, isn't it?"

Chrono had been half listening. How can he still talk about his inventions when _she_ wasn't here?

"Hey! Pay attention!" Chrono uninterestedly peered upwards. "Well, you can't go anywhere because Sister Kate doesn't trust you."

"What about Father Remington?" There was a silence.

Elder scratched the back of his head, going over what he should say.

"Father Remington left us a while back, right around when you two went missing, I'd say. He's been watching over," He smirked, just remembering the possible importance of this. "Joshua."

Chrono only looked towards the floor. "Joshua?" he tried to sound excited.

"Yes, yes. The poor boy doesn't remember much about you and Rosette."

"Much?"

"Well, certainly. He writes stories about him, another girl, and an alien going exploring. He doesn't have a name for the other two, but in his drawings, it sure looks a lot like you two. So I've heard…" This time, Chrono was able to feel the sadness radiating off of the old man. He pulled his head up. Indeed, the old man was facing the other way, pushing a Gospel on his desk back and forth.

--

Rosette couldn't find herself to walk through the open doors of the Magdalene Order. It cut her deep when she saw Azmaria sitting at the fountain, which was now running, alone. Only then did she push herself past the walkway. She found that Azmaria was looking at a picture. A picture Rosette recognized as a memory of the day they had spent at the carnival. It filled her with such content, yet happiness. She sat next to her friend, giving herself the illusion that Azmaria knew she was there.

Azmaria seemed so… grown up. She appeared as if she finally got onto being a nun. Rosette felt proud about that. It was so reassuring knowing that someone wants to follow in your footsteps, and it's even better when they come through to it. She felt like such a role model, yet that soon disappeared. What was she now?

"Rosette." Azmaria murmured. And to imagine Rosette's surprised at the mention of her name. She almost wanted to reply back, but she knew the point wasn't very great.

"I wanted to thank you for being here. I had a lot of fun…" Rosette smiled. She was never very good at prayers, which sure hadn't changed. "It's going to be very hard without you. Chrono doesn't look too well, and he's under observation right now for his behavior. I… I don't want to admit, but I think he's just lost it."

Rosette sighed. This would be good information, had she not been there to see this already.

"It's like everything falls apart without you, but we can hold it together. I'm not giving up. If I'm sad, I'll be sad…" she held back her tears. "If I'm angry, I'll be angry. And if I miss you, then I'll…"

Rosette had to stand. She couldn't take it. She turned and gave her a hug, of course passing through her. Azmaria twitched, cracking a smile. _I think she got it._

--

After lunch, the day continued on horribly slow. Chrono didn't have energy to do much, so he just sat under a tree while the sun passed by. He thought about the last six months. The devil rubbed his eyes. She just wasn't here.

Rosette couldn't help but to sigh with frustration. If she was going to make herself noticed, how was she to do it if everyone sat around? She was trying to brighten it up here. She'd already moved several silverware pieces across the table, but no one had seen. Everyone was so empty! They couldn't catch a bullet coming to them even if the world was slowed down a hundred times from what they were used to!

She sat next to Chrono, hugging her knees, mind racing. Her crystal blue eyes wondered to him every once and a while, but he remained without action. He soon drifted off where he sat. She planted her face in her palms. Just within the few minutes he had been sleeping, she punched his gut, her anger blinding her. To her surprised, he bowled over in pain, clutching where he had been hit. He looked around, but to no avail, he saw nothing. He moaned.

Rosette just stood, drowning in her amazement. She poked him to experiment with her contact again. It passed straight through him. Elder came over shortly after. He glanced around his area.

"Something happen, Chrono?" He found himself asking. The devil dragged himself upwards, staring around also.

"FINALLY!! WHOO!" Rosette nearly jumped around the yard. She didn't care what happened, this was her break.

"Why, what's wrong?" Chrono inquired.

"Uhh.. your indicator went red. I'm required to check up on you, but I guess there's nothing wrong." Indicator?

Rosette found herself peering at the attachment on Chrono's wrist. The light flickered yellow.

"What? Oh, right." Chrono said, faking a smile. "Erm… thanks."

Soon the old man was gone as soon as he had come. The devil cautiously inspected his surroundings. That wasn't some normal disturbance.

--

As Chrono readied himself for bed, he still pondered the situation that had occurred while he was napping. Stomach pains? No, that was impossible. He barely ate anything…

Rosette couldn't help but to cackle a laugh. "Think, think as you might Chrono, you're not going to know what happened until I give you another sign." But, she thought about this for a bit. She really didn't want to make this seem like some haunting…

Chrono eyed his indicator as he laid down in his bed. He knew he wasn't going to be able to sleep tonight, though.

Rosette made herself comfortable by his bed side. Unexpectedly, the indicator flickered from green to orange constantly back and forth. Chrono sat up. Rosette peered at him. He was inspecting the thing on his wrist.

"Piece of junk." Chrono murmured. He began to talk out loud. As of why, he'd never really find out. "I'm in my room, yet it still goes orange as if I'm near someone. Why does Sister Kate think I need this sort of treatment? I'm not some wild animal." He shook his head. Rosette got up and paced the room. So, _this_ was how Sister Kate would have acted if she wasn't around, and little old Chrono was left? Anger boiled her lid. She pounded on the wall once, then twice. Huffing, she rested her head against it.

"Kate, I'll choke you in your sleep. Learn to see spirits and that might save you, but nothing else will!" She tried to contain herself.

Chrono stared at the wall. It wasn't everyday the wall… creaked like that. The indicator flashed orange, staying like that a while longer before returning to green and repeating the process. He got out of the bed. He placed his hands against the wall, sliding them over its smooth surface. Rosette smirked as she watched him. He was so clueless. She carelessly passed through him. He flinched. The devil rubbed his temples.

"This is ridiculous." Chrono said to, again, particularly nothing. Rosette skipped across the room, setting herself down once again.

"This is pretty fun. Playing with Chrono."

Chrono's gaze followed to his left. Footsteps… he heard footsteps. His arms dropped. So, he really was going crazy? His breathing became uneasy. He walked over to where the footsteps had ended, seemingly becoming more curious each step.

The indicator flash orange, and stood there.

"This is actually creeping me out." He scratched the back of his head. He growled. Chrono turned towards the door, pushing it open and peering both ways.

Rosette stood and ran a finger down his back, smirking. After a series of awkward noises, he slammed the door shut. He turned with realization.

"So, you're in here?"

--

A/N: I had fun writing the end. xD

Welp, whatcha think? Long enough, or do I have to extend it?


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: **I've finally gotten this in. Dx Lots going on right now, and I'm not going to give a lot of excuses except for a sorry it took my so long to get this down. I'll try and update soon, but my summer is more packed than I thought it would be. Anyway, enjoy.

**DISCLAIMER:** Don't own Chrono Crusade, but I sure do own these words in this fan fiction.

--

The devil's crimson eyes wondered quite helplessly around his confined space

The devil's crimson eyes wondered quite helplessly around his confined space. He still felt the burning shiver that slowly screeched down his back. His cheeks, arms, and abdominal area, as well, felt tampered with. Chrono was a little surprised that it didn't hurt him. He came to the conclusion that the feeling wasn't going to disappear anytime soon. Chrono stood up rather awkwardly, back bent at a jittering angle. The light belonging to the indicator bound onto his wrist flashed between orange and green. He hadn't moved, still as a statue. He waited for another hot, cold, or funny sensation. He didn't seem to come. He took a step forward, laying his foot down sloppily as if he had never walked before. It was freezing in the room, yet he caught himself sweating.

By now, Rosette Christopher was sent into a fit of chuckles.

Clueless.

He was indeed totally clueless. She didn't blame him. Well, she didn't blame him much. She'd be pretty confused right now if she'd heard footsteps, the wall caving in, and so on. A permanent smirk lit her features. This wasn't so bad, after all. Staying, she meant. Even though she hadn't found a purpose for returning to earth as an invisible watcher after her own death, she was slowly finding ways to make use of it. She was thriving towards the direction of hoping to get noticed. That seemed all likely, now. Her sense of touch was guiding her now.

She felt like an idle weapon. It was shockingly pleasing.

She'd punched him in the gut.

Surely, she could have thought of better places to punch him. She had to bite her finger to stop herself from imaging any other possible pains or aches she could inflict on Chrono. At that moment, what would anyone else have done? She was getting ignored, and that was the only thing she would have done to wake him up. A prod would have been nice, too, but she had been angry. Rosette hadn't intended the blows would hit him, on some other hand.

And here she was, toying with the devil. More like experimenting. She'd need this type of study to see her limitations if she was to truly make herself noticed. It was either that, or she was just having a good time.

So far, she discovered that her touch passed right through him. Yet, it left some sort of trail of reactions. It was like she was inserting some type of poison through her touches that made the devil flinch, shiver, yelp, and even moan in frustration. It was different each time she'd touched him, but she'd have to say a series of awkward noises was her favorite.

Surely, he'd gotten the hint that something had been rubbing his fur the wrong way. His indicator was going haywire. It didn't touch red this time, though. That was a start.

She'd been messing with him so much, he was starting to sweat. She had to feel kind of guilty at the same time. She was confusing the pants off of the poor guy. At this rate, she'd probably give him a headache.

Chrono's cold spots soon heated up to the equivalent of his body temperature, which he was almost convinced was about a hundred degrees fahrenheit. Unexpectedly, his entire body went back onto the track of his normal flow. His sweat soon disappeared as fast as it had come.

Many unanswered questions fuzzed in his head as he sat back down onto his bed. He was still a bit uneasy, ready for another suddenly cold spot to rain upon him. He couldn't get at what the hell had been going on. And, quite frankly, he wouldn't be able to ask anyone. He could have asked Elder, but he wasn't ready to be laughed at just yet. If he got desperate enough, then just maybe he'd consider talking with the old man. Chrono would have to sooner or later. His indicator's light was now a very dim green. It seemed like it was running out of fuel, or whatever was powering it.

He quivered a sigh as he set his head down onto his single pillow. He didn't feel in the mood for sleeping at all, but his body was begging for it. He forced his eyes shut, rubbing his temples. Chrono's eyes shot open every once and a while to inspect his room. They only closed again, getting more and more heavy as he continued repeating the process. Each time his eyelids drooped, he could have sworn he had spotted a certain blond watching over him with an amused smile.

"This isn't funny, Rosette." Chrono muttered.

His fingers stopped messaging his temples and his breathing slowed.

Rosette stifled a sigh, also. For a brief moment, she'd forgetting she wasn't very existent. Any person would have been thrown off if someone talked to you if you weren't really there. Unfortunately, she hadn't given much thought to the devil's words. Rosette ignored them.

She moved the by standing chair over to the side of her sleeping contractor's bed. Closer, that is.

She plainly spectated his even breathing. She grabbed a hold of both his wrists and set them down side-by-side with his body. She tore her hand back as she realized what she had just done. She prodded Chrono's side with a finger. His body barely budged, but her fingers met solid material. He turned a bit, scratching his side where Rosette had poked him. A quite cheer flooded from her.

Despite her discovery of touch, she didn't know much else she could do. He was asleep, and that wouldn't be any fun. Her chair creaked as she edged forward. She crossed her arms and placed them on the bed below her. They supported her shoulders and her head from toppling over.

Involuntarily, she brushed a few strands of hair from his forehead. He wasn't conscious of it. The other time she'd been able to make contact with him was while he was napping. Needless to say, she didn't feel very joyful about it. It made her happy she didn't pass through him, but what was the use if the people she touched could only be _asleep_?

--

_The Sinner stood before his former ally, his eyes slit with fury. His teeth were grit together as he forced himself to choke back his desired actions to slice him open._

"_Hey, Chrono! Surprised, aren't you?" Aion said with his hand out. He gave Chrono a friendly wave._

"_You're supposed to be dead." He retorted bitterly. _

_The white haired devil shrugged._

"_I've been lucky." Aion stated simply. "How's Rosette?"_

_Chrono wasn't happy about Aion's change of subject. His lids twitched. He clenched his hands, nails scoring out blood from his palm._

"_She's dead because of you." _

_Aion ran a finger down his chin. The devil looked thoughtful. His smile proved he wasn't a statue because he was still for a few minutes._

_  
"I guess that's your fault, isn't it?"_

_Chrono flinched at his accusation. _

"_You did, after all, _let_ me take your horns." Aion removed his glasses, fiddling with them between his claws. His own purplish-hued eyes slit. "Had you not affiliated with Rosette and Joshua, or rather, had they not found you, Rosette wouldn't have had to make the contract with you." The devil spat matter-of-factly._

"_Don't forget you're the one who trampled in. There wouldn't be a contract if her brother was never in need of one. We were only trying to help him, and kill you."_

_A chuckled echoed throughout the cavern both were standing in._

"_I guess you're right about that." He ran a claw over the frame of the glasses, slipping to the glass itself. It left a thin scratch across the single lens as he moved on to the other._

"_You just had to hurt yourself more by falling in love again. With another human, too." He shook his head. "You're really pathetic. I'd thought you'd learn the first time. Nonetheless, that's not what I'm here for." He jumped from the ledge he was sitting at, dust particles flying in the air. He paced forward, still fascinating himself with his own glasses._

"_Since she's out of the way, what about that offer on the horns? You took them from Joshua yourself, so I didn't think it would be very fair if I gave them to someone else."_

_For the first time in a while, he gave real thought to what he was offering. It seemed tempting to accept, but he had to think about everything he'd be leaving behind. _

_Then it came across him; this was only a dream._

_It seemed so real, too. Now, he had nothing to lose. But if Aion was still out there, which he doubted, he'd have some reason to actually think about the offer because his obvious answer would have been a turn down. But now, he was powerless. He wasn't about to get another contractor, for he couldn't take another human's life span. He couldn't imagine doing so. But he couldn't imagine taking back his horns._

_He shook his head. It _was _just a dream. He gave no other word to him._

"_It's still an offer, Chrono. I'll give you time because I'm a good guy like that."_

_And like that, Aion was gone._

--

Chrono flinched awake. Rosette had lain onto the side of the bed, at least trying to sleep. It hadn't worked, though. She opened one icy blue eye, sighing as he ran his fingers through his hair, seemingly irritated by the sound of his muffled groan. Rosette straightened up as he prepared to roll off the bed. He turned once, now dangling off the side of the mattress. His eyes were still glued shut with sleep.

He put one foot out, letting all his weight onto it. One of his under shirt spares was neatly spread out onto the wooden planks. When he laid his foot on it, it had slid across the waxed surface of the floor. He flailed out helplessly as his head went straight into the chair, making an interesting thonk before he rolled off of that and hit the floor with a thud.

Rosette stood wide-eyed. She wanted to bowl over and laugh, but her slight guilt choked it back. She had to admit, seeing Chrono do something like that wasn't in character for him at all.

"Wh...when did that chair get there?" Chrono inquired groggily. He stood motionless for a long while, moaning while rubbing his head. He kicked out his leg, sending the chair back flying. It toppled over and scratched the flooring.

"Stupid piece of useless wood." Her former contractor had muttered. He grabbed onto the side of the bed and pulled himself to his standing height once again. Chrono brought up a hand to rub his eyes, swiping them across his face rather harshly.

Rosette sighed hopelessly. She tapped lightly on her chin, tilting her head to an observative angle. Now, if floating light bulbs that light up and appear over people's heads when they had an idea really existed, this would be a moment where a light bulb would appear over Rosette's head, beaming strongly.

While Chrono was busy with the task of getting ready for whatever he had in his day plan, Rosette focused her time being on lifting the chair back up. It didn't take much, and of course, back up onto those four pillars it came. She tried to make it as quiet as possible, and she'd done a pretty good job at that.

When Chrono stepped back into the room from the small bathroom attached to the guest's room, he found himself staring at a mahogany trimmed chair. His brows raised in curiosity. His crimson gaze slit as he peered across the room, both to his left and right. The devil struggled a sigh.

"I'm tired of being your entertainment." Chrono muttered in a dragged-out tone. "Just show yourself."

Rosette threw her palms to her face in frustration. She raked them down, burning holes into her contractor with her slightly revealed cyan eyes.

"Great applesauce, Chrono!" Rosette pushed through gritted teeth.

Chrono wiped a hand over the chair's smooth surface. He sensed no other presence or bundle of Astral Energy. But, things didn't move on their own like this. Something was definitely here, and he had a small idea of how he can pick it out.

--

"You said you can track auras, right?" Chrono inquired.

"Not quite track, but more like pinpoint and extract during certain reactions."

The Elder played with a few nuts and bolts belonging to Chrono's wrist attachment. There seemed to be nothing wrong with it, aside from the slight overwork it might have been receiving. He twisted the chip belonging inside of it between his fingers. To make a machine measure aura mixes, it must have taken a big toll out of its small system. Had the attachment been a bit bigger, risk of it malfunctioning like that might have been slimmer and less often.

While Elder was observing the attachment, Chrono was well at war with himself. Whether or not to tell Elder what had been going on within his room, as well as the day of that nap scratched at him like crazy. That would give him a small explanation as to why it might have been smoked out. He doubted anything bad would come of it. If he told him about moving chairs and those sudden cold rushes he's been receiving, more than likely he wouldn't laugh at him. It wasn't all that surprising to find out something was haunting a devil. Nothing good ever came of devils, so he was likely to believe his stories about this phenomenon of an event.

He wondered how to even start explaining what's been going on lately.

"Elder?" His voice was thick with an intent seriousness. It made the old man turn in surprise. "I have a small idea explaining how the indicator's been acting.

"Last night, while I was laying down to sleep, the wall in front of me just went off like something hit it, yet nothing had done such a thing." He let hid head rest on his palm as he leaned against a nearby table, doing all he can to prevent another headache looking back to last night. "I started to feel these cold sensations and uncomfortable jabs all over." He delicately dragged his hand across one of his arms.

"My indicator's light went from green to orange a few times, and that's when it started to act up. I started to get the idea that someone else was in my room, but I couldn't see them."

He shook his head as if he couldn't even believe his own words.

"Then, just this morning, I got out of bed and slid on something I hadn't placed on the floor, and hit my head onto a chair which I also hadn't placed there the night before. I kicked it out and got dressed. When I looked back at it, it was sitting in the upright position again."

Amazingly enough, Elder took high conscience of his words. He listened so intently, you'd think his head would pop.

"There's only one thing we can do to solve this." Elder immediately turned, tweaking the attachment even more. "Now, if we update the aura mix pinpointing system, we can get weaker levels of auras. Those cold sensations are signs your body is reacting to an aura, so we need to make it to the point where your body can absorb the aura and get used to the system so that doesn't happen. Whatever is following you, which is most likely human since invisible devil's auras would be much much stronger, we'll be able to extract the aura and track it."

Elder spoke matter-of-factly, which made Chrono a bit sick.

"So, you're saying if that thing touches me, I'll be able to see it because I've absorbed it?" The devil had inquired faintly, almost not wanting to see what was haunting him.

"I dunno. I guess you can say that when you absorb an aura, it'd only make sense as if its apart of your body to see it. That's what logical science says."

Logical science? This was a whole different level of science, almost a somewhat phenomenal science. Unreal material.

Chrono shuffled his shoulders, ridding his mind of his possible stalker as well as any type of science. He'd let Elder do the thinking. He had other things to think about. Things he wouldn't be able to think about here.

"When you're done with that, let me know. I'll be out in the courtyard, no where else."

"Remember to keep your distance, Chrono. If Sister Kate saw you out there without this attachment playing tag with all the little nuns, she'll rip her face off then yours."

Chrono couldn't find the humor in that, but he guessed it was intended to be a joke. He didn't see it like that. He forced a smile anyway, promising the Elder to stay out of trouble. He also didn't want to reach into details as if why he'd be playing tag with nuns. Elder's mind never seemed to amaze him, especially with those thoughts of his. Nothing really seemed to amaze him anymore. It was all about his stalker, and even that wasn't too exciting.

He was being controlled here, and he didn't like it. He didn't technically belong to the order anymore because Rosette kept him tied in. He was just a partner, never anything close to what Rosette was. He was just back up. He wasn't given the missions or told to write any apologizes. He didn't have to face Sister Kate and he didn't have to be punished along with Rosette for their mistakes. He helped because he felt he need to, and because he wanted to feel like he was apart of the Magdalene Order. Now it felt like he had no relation to the place. There was nothing much left here for him.

Rosette patiently paced behind her contractor, unable to stand walking next to him because of his extremely sour aura. He made continuous circles in the court yard, and not the kind that got you dizzy, but the really long ones. He was so stuck in thought, she could throw something at him and he wouldn't change his mind set. If only Elder could work just a bit faster. This new idea about absorbing her aura, or whatever they were talking about (she'd zoned out, it practically had been that boring), she couldn't wait for it all to just set into motion already. She was a pin prick disappointed at the fact that she wouldn't be able to "haunt" Chrono anymore after he saw her, but she was also scared to see what would happen at the same time.

Would he reject the being that's there?

She couldn't possibly imagine Chrono not being happy to see her. But like this, it just might be a little too much for him to bear. Then again, he can be completely happy with that fact that she had been there. She couldn't find it as a good thing because no one else would be able to see her. Only Chrono, for those matters that Elder had explained she managed to catch bits of, would be able to see her. If Chrono decides to mention and confirm that he could see her to someone else of the Magdalene Order, they would probably take it as some dirty joke. Rosette knew Chrono would never be that type of person, but other people didn't always see the world as you did. That was another thing that was so unfair about the world. You just had to ask yourself questions like, "Why can't people see things the way I see it?"

She always wondered why people chose to be so ignorant to such important facts. It almost reminded her of those horror films where no one believes you about the zombies, or whatever. She just couldn't understand how people could just reject what you say because it sounds blasphemistic and outrageous. It made her want to rip her hair from her head and scream at the top of her lungs in frustration, all to just let it out. Well, they'd sure have some surprise if they didn't believe Chrono. Rosette would make sheer hell of it. She couldn't wait for the denials, now that she thought a bit more and played it over in her head. That would be the best part. No, no, her haunting wasn't coming to an end. That was just for Chrono. For everyone else, she was just opening a new can of treasures.

The girl hadn't noticed the time fly by. Thirty minutes snuck right down her collar and out. That was pretty much all the time Elder needed to finish up his contraption, which he insisted on dubbing it a "toy." She couldn't put a finger on to as why he could be so playful. Maybe he was trying to hide whatever was under that grin of his. She had to scoff to herself about how it did make her feel a bit brighter that everyone wasn't crying over her absence, or at least trying not to make it seem like it. That was the last thing she wanted.

"So, Chrono, I went ahead and modified the censor chip to pick up weaker auras with significance." He clamped the thing onto his wrist so fast, the click was barely audible.

The devil helplessly stood there as the Elder, out of habit, fiddled with it a slight bit more. After what seemed like an hour, he tugged it away, annoyance trailing his features.

He twisted his wrist with deep interest. The attachment didn't seem much different. Its light was orange at the moment. His brows furrowed slightly in disappointment. It didn't seem too special at all.

"Are you sure this—"

"WHAT!? Chrono, since when have I ever failed you?" Elder interrupted, taken aback. It was funny how he already knew what he was going to say. "Think really, really hard and try to remember the last time something I've made for you hasn't completed its correct function." He quizzically raked at Chrono with his goggle-covered eyes.

"I… was just asking. But, I can't recall anything right now." The devil countered almost too plainly. He wanted to try this out already. He'd need to get to a place where he can talk to it without being interrupted or asked weird questions. "I'm going to head back to my room. That's where everything's been occurring."

Before the Elder can shoot questions at Chrono, he sped over the corner and down the hall towards his guest room. He nearly ran straight into the door, his fingers slipping over the knob as he tried to twist it to release the hinges. He stopped himself just inches from the smooth wood, glancing to his left and right for nearby watchers. Since there were no watchers, he didn't feel the need to be embarrassed. Chrono reached for the door once again, calmly slipping it open and tumbling inside.

For just a moment, he expected a cold sensation, but nothing came to him. He emptily leaned against the door, scarlet orbs scanning for anything unusual. Nothing had been moved out of place since he last left the room. With a shuffle of his shoulders, he relaxed. He didn't let his guard slip, though.

Rosette watched Chrono with pure amusement. Wasn't he going to be shocked? She thought briefly of how she should take this about. Should she make him wait? Ah, she couldn't do that right now. She was too excited herself to make him wait, let alone herself. She couldn't _just _show herself. That was way too boring. She wasn't even positive if it would work, and she might have wanted to experiment, but if it did work, that'd blow it. Her mind forced her to start forming a plan so diabolical, it should have been illegal.

Chrono slowly paced the room, aware yet jumpy at the same time. This was the part where Rosette _had_ to wait. And didn't she _hate_ waiting? It was all apart of her plan, though. Her perfect, scheming, wonderful plan. She made herself comfortable on the floor, afraid that Chrono might sit down in the chair while she was sitting in it.

He was worn, now. Chrono tapped on his attachment, starting to doubt it was going to work. Sure, Elder never let them down, but he couldn't feel very positive about this one. Rosette was usually the one to test Elder's things out, and he wasn't positive of how to cope with this one. With a dragged-out sigh, he sat onto his bed, eventually leaning back to stare up at the ceiling.

Soon, lunch had slipped by. Chrono had forgotten to attend it. Anyone would have if they were napping. He was fully lying on the bed for additional comfort. Rosette couldn't help but to thing this was his biggest mistake yet.

"Comfortable, Chrono?" She evilly fumed between gritted teeth. She slid over to his bed side, laughing menacingly. She readied her heads, bending down a bit to get the job done.

"I like to call this… DEVIL TIPPING!"

With all of her might, Chrono flew out of the bed at her strong push. He rolled several times before colliding against the wall, face to the hard wood floor. He groaned in pain, almost sobbing. The only thing lighting his dark corner was his wrist attachment's flickering green to orange light.

"Why…" he murmured. He slowly aroused, wall supporting his way up. With a quick glance across the room, he couldn't see anyone there. He rubbed his eyes again. They definitely weren't failing him. Nothing there. Nothing expect for the small ring of a very amused chuckle. For a minute, he thought he recognized the chuckle, but pushed it away with haste.

"Someone there?" Was his reaction, rather helplessly. The chuckle drizzled into an all-out laugh. There was a struggle for breath. He couldn't mistake this one.

He stumbled around the bed, time slowing just a moment for him. She was very faded, but he could indeed see her. Such disbelief clawed at his side.

He was speechless for a few minutes. By then, Rosette was able to stop laughing and sit up properly. She was hiding behind the bed rolling on the floor laughing. She slowly stood up, peering at him awkwardly.

It took Chrono a bit longer to let this sink in, but even then he still thought his eyes were playing tricks on him. He noticed she was wearing the outfit she had been the last time he saw her—white button-up shirt with a collar, sleeves going up to her wrists, and a long, brown skirt. She shuffled a big where she was standing.

"Gosh, Chrono! You deserved that! Thought I'd get you out of your brain dead state, but I guess it didn't work."

His head unintentionally tilted. "Rosette?"

"No duh, genius!" She sighed. "How long did it take for you to figure out?" By all means necessary, she was trying to lighten up the sour mood. It wasn't a bad sour, just a really weird one…

With his silence, she started to get a bit iffy. "Y'know, I am right here…" she tried to reassure him. By the look on his face, she could tell that she had finally gotten through to him.

She was right here. But… she was dead. She was supposed to be dead. She undid the contract. She died.

"I guess your kind of wondering how I'm here… I really don't know myse—" Rosette had began slowly, trying to explain her situation. She was interrupted when she had felt a tight embrace around her. Chrono knew she was probably going to kill him for this, but he couldn't hold himself back. He just needed to know she was here. He hugged her tighter to make sure she was indeed solid. Rosette sat in her growing grief. She forced her hinges to embrace the devil back, resting her head on his shoulder (which she had to bend a little ways to do).

"Rosette…" Chrono practically struggled for breath. "That wasn't really you the entire time, was it?"

She only chuckled, really not knowing what to say anymore. "I was just trying to make myself noticed, but you took it another direction."

He chuckled also. At that moment in his life, everything seemed to become brighter again, despite his previous troubles and haunting. Well, not that he thought about it, he didn't mind the haunting at all. He was actually relieved it was Rosette. It was just like her to do something like that, he should have known earlier.

--

**AN:** I tried to make this one long for punishing myself for not updating, so I hope I did I good job at that.

Yes, Chrono finally finds Rosette. Potential plot in the dream, so, yeah. xD

Please review, it really does help.


	4. Chapter 4

**AN:** So, I was reading over my previous chapters, and decided to continue this once brainstorming a few ideas. ;) Sorry for the late update. Busy life… getting pretty rough.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Chrono Crusade, leave me be! D:

--

Rosette, dead? The former minister grumbled. He had to admit to himself he knew it'd happen. He knew that she wasn't going to live very long. Yet, he had such a hard time just believing it and letting it all go. Indeed, a hard time letting it go. With Joshua's condition, living as if she didn't exist, it made it all the more less real that she was gone because he had constantly told himself that she was out there. It'd been six months, and how he had regretted he didn't pass a proper goodbye. For Heaven's worth, he barely got to say any decent words to her. Regret crawled at his side, beginning to tear him inside out. If he would have just stayed for the time… no, that wouldn't have changed anything. It certainly didn't change the fact that she was gone.

He tried to step out of the topic for a moment, but he found himself engulfed in it once again. He sighed. An unsatisfying sensation crept up his spine. Chrono. What of Chrono? He could just imagine the devil's state of being. He rubbed his temples, barely about to keep a hold of the frosted cup in his hand. He trembled. Silence choked him, his thoughts able to echo freely non-stop in his head.

A crashing sound, or perhaps just the door, bursted his conscience, causing him to jump in surprise. His drink splattered on his lap, dampening his dark pants.

"I'm baaaack!" A jumpy, cheerful voice rang.

The blond man turned, forcing probably the most fake smile he had ever managed. "Good evening, Joshua. Did you get through school alright?"

Joshua immediately figured something was tampering with his guardian's mind. "Ewan, is there something wrong?"

The man blinked in surprise. His smile dissolved. _That boy…_ "Nothing of much to your importance. Don't worry about it."

A click of determination flickered off in the excelling student. "No way! You're going to tell me what's going on, and I'm not going to stand for being pushed out of this."

Ewan hopelessly sighed. "A very close friend of mine has just passed." He didn't dare try to explain that Rosette was his sister. Joshua was still faulty in remembering details like that. His memory didn't go very far at all. He just knew he had a sister.

Joshua was silent for a split second, his gaze casted down towards the wood-covered flooring. "Oh…" he distantly breathed. "S-sorry…"

Ewan shrugged, standing awkwardly as he inspected his damp pant leg. "Don't apologize. You're sharp, you know. Fished it right out of me." He cleverly tried to change the conversation. It wasn't going to work for this Christopher.

"If you don't mind me asking, who was it that died?" Ewan paused, his insides sinking. "Can't be that close of a friend if you never talk about 'em." Joshua shrugged, curiosity threading over him and overpowering his being.

"She was."

"_She_, huh? Who?"

Your sister.

He wanted to say it, and wasn't he close to it. Silence swallowed him whole. Ewan tugged at his pants, unsure of what to say. Now that he thought of it, had they ever conversed about Rosette? Had he ever once pushed about talking about Joshua's "sister"?

"Ewan?" Joshua softly pushed after he got no response for a while. His cyan eyes sparked with a tiny hint of worry.

"You might know her." He started slowly.

Joshua nodded, as if for him to continue. "Okay?" he called with the mirroring softness. A pang of worry glided down him. To imagine someone close to him who'd just died… and even worse, he _might _have known her? No one in particular came to mind. Ewan patted off his pants.

Ewan sighed. "I'll take you somewhere you should have been two years ago."

--

"How'd you get all…?" Chrono motioned awkward pictures with his hands.

"Wha?" Rosette questioned, her head tilting unintentionally.

Chrono rubbed his head with frustration. How was he frustrated?! He was way too happy to be trying to be frustrated! He only squeezed her tightly again, a seemingly little kid jumping out of him.

"Agh…" Rosette breathed. "Chrono, you're going to break me in half…" She patted his back.

"It's payback for pushing me out of my bed." He grinned.

"I didn't do that…" She murmured. There was a pause.

Chrono stood back up, red with surprise. "What?"

Rosette chuckled with pure amusement. "You're such a sap! Did you really think someone else was haunting you?"

Chrono grunted with embarrassment. "Yeah, so what if I did?"

The nun shook her head, trying to hide her mischievous smile. Chrono pulled his arms back quickly, uncertainly shifting his gaze to the floor. He brought his head back up to peer over the transparent form of Rosette once more. Her eyebrows were furrowed with annoyance. Somehow, he couldn't bring it to himself that she was standing here. He lifted his hand, prodding her with his index finger. Only then did he notice his wrist attachment was long orange, tinting to red. He pulled his hand pack with panic, letting out a small yelp of surprise.

"Gosh, Chrono! You forgot about that thing!" She yelled at him, as surprised as he was.

"I…I didn't know when you'd come into contact with me… or even when it'd pick you up!" He shot back, panic simmering over the limits. Footsteps sounded down the hall, its urgent beat stopping in front of his door. His jaw dropped.

"So, you're telling me this is my fault?!" Rosette beamed.

"No!" He whisper-yelled.

"I THINK that's what you were aiming towards!" She growled back.

"You think!"

His door bursted open, falling face-first on the sanded (now scratched) wood flooring with a loud clank. Elder stood there with an awkward looking contraption and several nuns behind him. He wadded in, peering around the room, using his mysterious contraption as a look-alike gun. His goggle-covered gaze finally rested on Chrono, white eyebrows arched with suspicion. Chrono was blanked out and rooted in place with shock. "W…was that necessary?"

"Absolutely." He professionally replied. "I got it, ladies. Head back to bed." They all sighed in unison, annoyed that the old pervert had trampled through their rooms to get them up for this "emergency." They soon found it as an excuse to see them in their pajamas. After Elder received several lumps on the head, all the sisters had gone.

"He really never changes." Rosette disgustedly added. Chrono had nearly forgotten she was there. Her being was so ghastly, anyone would have let the thought of her appearance slip between their conscience.

"Have you been tagging along with me the entire time?" Chrono inquired towards her. It was a natural question. He'd now forgotten Elder was there.

"I've been watching over you, yes." Elder replied towards him, slightly off at the fact that he was looking in a different direction other than facing him while talking. Rosette grumbled. "Yeah, Chrono. He can't hear or see me, so I've been experiencing. You people are really dull, you know? After trying to get your attention for so long, do I ever get it? No! Instead, I…" She trailed off, Elder at the same time trying to talk to Chrono. Chrono hopelessly zoned into the words of both. Elder was blabbering nonstop on something Chrono couldn't understand unless he had been listening from the beginning, and Rosette was constantly complaining about how fun her time had been watching him, which had obviously been sarcastic. It was driving him nuts.

"Agh! One at a time!" He yelled. He felt like ripping his hair out of his head. He'd only been about to stand for that for about a minute or two. He couldn't imagine surviving any longer. Rosette dulled while Elder gave him a puzzling look.

Chrono sighed with contained relief. Both buzzes of their voices were gone.

"Well, if you want, I can leave and let you talk to this old geezer first." Rosette shot sharply. Chrono flinched. He wanted to reply, but with Elder there, he could see the questions coming. Elder creased a white brow.

"Chrono, what are you talking about?"

The devil sighed, stretching a smile across his lips once he let himself relax.

"Well, Elder, glad to say your invention works." He scratched the back of his head, shooting a glance at a very bored looking Rosette. Wow, so she really wasn't gone yet.

"Of course it works!" Elder feigned disbelief, wanting to skip straight to answers. Chrono was nearly stalling. His crimson eyes shone with a bit more enthusiasm. He dropped his jaw to speak, but Rosette was on him faster than he could mutter a single syllable. She clasped her hand of his mouth. The devil slightly flinched, confusion slapping him hard.

"Be quiet, you dout! Really, do you want to ruin my fun THAT bad?!" Rosette hissed.

Chrono began to shake his head before she forced both of her hands onto both sides of his head, killing the motion immediately. She gritted her teeth together, blond brows arched with rage. "Really, can ya be that stupid?"

Chrono made a weak sound, which can probably be described as a whimper.

"Riiiiight. Good." She slowly backed out, as if afraid he'd bolt from the room to escape her, now taking the time to move in her caution.

Elder cocked his head. "Chrono? What was it that you saw?"

Chrono bit hit lip, wildly looking towards his faded contractor for an excuse.

"Hell, tell him you saw…" She slipped into thought, seeming to lose herself. "..tell him you saw some sort of cloaking devil. You took care of him, thus causing all that useless fuss." She shrugged, out of any other idea. "Why don't you come up with something yourself?"

He hadn't listened, already repeating what she has transcribed, editing in a few words.

Elder nodded, understanding. He was still just a fraction of a bit confused, but otherwise, ignored his thoughts. "Well, sorry for the interruption, Chrono. Please, act as if I was never here." Elder took a few careful steps back, as if suddenly cautious he might do damage to something. Before the devil knew, the old man was gone. His crimson opticals scanned over the fallen door. He forced a sigh and pulled the door back onto its broken hinges, trying to hide his obvious smile and burst of excitement. Rosette eyed him, getting the feeling she was hanging around a two-year-old.

He turned, once again trying to confirm her existence. She raised a questioning blond brow, unable to hide her grin as she saw his nearly on-fire expression.

"Yes, I'm here?" Her voice slid into a high pitched octave at the end. She was nearly knocked over by his flying speed as he collided into her again.

"Rosette, Rosette! You have to tell me what happened!" He whisper-yelled. He was going to get good at that.

"I don't know what happened, doofus." She tried to act sour, but it came off as a more exasperated tone. She attempted to regain her balance, but Chrono had already pulled off of her.

"Well that doesn't explain a lot at all. At least recall what you saw or something." Chrono's shot at trying to sound annoyed himself failed.

"Hmm…" Rosette pretended to fish her answer around from her environment, just to make him wait for it. His violet brows furrowed with anticipated impatience. "It's hard to recall." She decided to hang it over his head. His lips creased into a frown. "Maybe a few more hauntings will edge me towards remembering, then maybe spirit will be satisfied." A more playful side of her reached out. Chrono scratched the back of his head, not really liking the sound of her idea. He knew her more than this. She was planning something vial and wretched. And he knew better than to try and ask, scared stiff of exactly how she planned on pulling the curtains on these poor, poor sisters at the Magdalene Order.

--

**A/N: **Sorry to end it here. All of you probably hate me for it. But life is really sucking lately, and I have not had a lot of time at all to try and write these. It might take a while more for me to get the next chapter out, but I have a few things that might push me towards updating sooner. No promises.

Review, please. It really does help.


	5. Chapter 5

**AN:** Hey you guys. I'm going to post what I have written of this unfinished chapter and I'm going to leave it as this. If you haven't already, please read my profile and my updates, it explains _everything._

**Disclaimer**: I don't own it.

Poor, poor sisters indeed.

Had they ever done anything against the will of God? Had they ever committed some shameless act that placed them in line for such punishment? Well, perhaps not acts against God.

This was payback for all those days that anyone ever doubted her or Chrono, even if they did apologize or try to make up for it, nothing would truly amount to her payback, but this slightly pointless rave of Rosette Christopher's would just have to do.

With a new fire in her eyes, she slithered around the Magdalene Order, a twisted grin curling her lips. Satisfaction seeped into her as she just so happened to spot Sister Mary, Anna, and Claire. She guessed that they were heading towards the dining hall, noise amongst them was uncharacteristically stilled and their expressions were all even and showed nothing but blankness. The invisible woman threw on a frown, indifferently crossing her arms as she followed the three.

She had this problem with Chrono, him being unable to see her, yet she was there the whole time. They thought she was gone, but she hadn't felt like she moved an inch from the reality of this world, though she was in a completely separate void of it. Well, they just needed hard convincing that she wasn't going anywhere, just as she had harshly taught Chrono.

She briefly thought over their last encounter.

"_R-Rosette! C'mon, that's a crazy idea! You're absolutely out of your mind! You gave me a hard time, isn't that enough?" The violet locked devil complained helplessly, trying to hold her back from her insane declaration. "Have you lost your brains?"_

"_Chrono! You need to learn when to take a situation to its advantage! Why _wouldn't _I do this? It's retribution I tell you, holy retribution!" She cackled, a devious grin about her now mischievous features. She pointed an accusing finger at him. "You're just the beginning of a very long stream of mysterious events! I'll create my own seven wonders!" Rosette chuckled evilly to herself, already planning the demise of those she saw fit._

_A sigh rolled from the devil, a weight of uncertainty settling on his shoulders. "How is this in any way going to jog your memory of how what happened after you…" He left his voice trail into nothingness. She caught his drift, making a sharp turn on her heels._

"_We're just going to have to see about that, hmm? Now, you be a good little devil and assist me in this ultimate torment!" Victory already strengthened her tone. She giggled and mumbled something that had to do with rubbing "it" in Sister Kate's face. _

_Did he even have a choice at this point? One thing was for certain, he didn't want to be separated from her again. As she headed towards the door and extended a hand to pry it open, her hand slipped through the brazen knob and she cursed, walking herself through the wooden chunk instead. He quickly followed, unsure of what else to do as he budged the door from its cracked hinges and set the door aside against the wall, following the aura of her out into the yard, keeping his distance in the shadowy confines of the pillars and structures._

Her cerulean orbs easily spotted him amongst the dark, his face was contorted with uncertainty. Well, that was sure his problem. He needed to become certain, then. She smiled a bit, extending a hand to wave. He returned the gesture smally, a look of concern darkening his features as he gazed over at the three Sisters she had decided to prey on.

The trio settled down upon receiving their lunches. They didn't converse much, save for a few words here and there. She watched them carefully, rounding the long table they sat at out of habit; she after all could have walked right through it. She inspected their surroundings thoughtfully, her eyes rewarded in their search as she set her gaze on a spoon. Yes, a spoon. That would be her weapon of mass destruction.

Giggling just the slightest bit, she reached out with a single finger and attempt to prod the silver piece from where it laid mere inches from where Sister Mary had herself seated. The brown-haired nun, of course, took no notice of her actions. She became a bit frustrated as her finger slid through the object, which she had to find unfair. "What the?" She muttered, trying to budge the spoon once again, but to no avail. She gritted her teeth together, finding that this was no longer a game, but a matter of life and death.

With her whole hand, she swatted at the rounded piece repeatedly, her hand sliding through the table in the process. She grunted, then began to growl in the midst of her epic fight. With a screeching battle cry, one final swoop of her hand collided against the spoon as matter hit semi-matter. The piece flew past the faces of the Sisters and hit the wall meters away with a thunk and cling.

All of them angled their attention towards the noise, Sister Mary especially taking notice that the very spoon next to her had suddenly been blasted across the room. "Victory!" Rosette clenched her fist in pure glory, letting out a righteous laugh.

"Um." Sister Anna broke the silence that seemed to run on for so long. "That's not strange at all." She sarcastically noted. A shocked stretch overtook them. Rosette took this as a moment to take advantage of.

"WooOoOOoO!" She chanted in a haunted drizzle, passing her arms through the three of them, satisfied to see that they shivered at her wicked touch. They jumped in surprise, a small shriek breaking from them.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Chrono's head bowed. She wasn't sure if he was silently hoping the best for the Sisters and regretted not stopping her or was laughing at the torment she cursed upon them.

"D-did you guys feel that?" Sister Claire shakily dared to speak.

Sister Anna slowly averted her gaze from where the spoon had flown. "I was hoping I was the only one…" She trailed, her world spinning in confusing circles.

"Oh my." Sister Mary put a hand to her head. "I'm feeling faint now…"

Tip-toeing from the spacious room with a grin of a thousand victories, Rosette was then confronted by a very unhappy looking Chrono.

"Rosette! How on earth is this supposed to be helping you right now?" He muttered furiously, keeping mind of the volume of his voice. He was, after all, talking to nothing.

**A/N: **Again, please read the updates on my profile if you haven't already. I'm so sorry to stop it here, but I won't be continuing this story because 1. I don't have anything planned out. 2. Though I adore Chrono Crusade, I don't have any muse for it anymore to write this. 3. I can't sit down and write what I want because I think too much to concentrate. It's really hard to explain. And 4. I've got so many other things to write, I'm just going to start anew. Updates on my profile explain a lot.


End file.
